Federal Member for Newcastle

BUDGET WISH #9: KILL OFF THE ZOMBIE CUTS TO PROTECT PENSIONERS

Billions of dollars’ worth of unlegislated ‘zombie cuts’ that hang around the neck of vulnerable Australians need to be killed off, according to Federal Labor MP Sharon Claydon.

Ms Claydon said that the Turnbull Government has retained two billion dollars’ worth of unlegislated measures on the books, despite being unable to get them through the Parliament, with many of them affecting older Australians.

“Mr Turnbull needs to start by killing off his plan to cut the Energy Supplement. This would rip $365 a year away from new single pensioners and $550 a year for couples,” Ms Claydon said.

“The Government has utterly failed to get a mandate from the Parliament for this senseless plan, and now it’s time to drop it.”

Ms Claydon said the Turnbull Government also needs to ditch the idea to increase the pension age to 70.

“This cruel measure has been hanging around since Joe Hockey’s trainwreck budget of 2014. It would mean around 375,000 Australians will have to work longer before they can access the pension in the first four years alone,” Ms Claydon said.

“While they’re at it, the Government should axe the plan to take the pension supplement away from pensioners who are overseas for more than six weeks and ditch the 15-year waiting period for migrants to access the age pension.”

Ms Claydon said it was appalling for the Government to go after pensioners while at the same time handing over a $65 billion tax cut to big business and multinationals.

“The Federal Budget is an opportunity for this Government to reverse its vindictive pattern of ripping support away from the low and middle-income Australians to fund big giveaways for the top end of town,” Ms Claydon said.

Ms Claydon will be counting down her top ten Budget Wishes in the days leading up to the Federal Budget on Tuesday 8 May.